A train to Galveston?

A passenger train between Houston and Galveston could begin rolling along the oldest rail line in Texas in as little as five years, according to members of a study group trying to make it happen.

The group is working on a blueprint for the city of Galveston, which it expects to complete in June, that will specify the costs and construction needs for reviving passenger service that ceased in 1967.

The passenger line is needed to ease steadily worsening traffic congestion on the Gulf Freeway and reduce automobile pollution that is contributing to the Houston area’s failure to meet federal clean-air standards, proponents say.

The commuter rail line would cost far less than light rail or expanding the freeway, allow an increase in rail-freight service and offer an efficient evacuation route from Galveston when hurricanes threaten, they say.

“It has all the elements that would make it eminently possible,” said study-group member John Bertini, chairman of the Galveston Railroad Museum board.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas says City Council support for passenger rail is unwavering. “Trains could play a key part in an evacuation,” Thomas said.

It seems to me that this would make Galveston much more accessible to Houston, and vice versa. And it could be very good for urban development in Galveston.